The light faded. The hum in the room died. I slumped forward, my forehead resting against Kasper's chest. I was drenched in sweat, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
Kasper didn't let go of my wrist. He held it for a long moment, his thumb tracing the path of the violet veins as they faded back into the paleness of my skin. When he finally spoke, his voice was no longer a command. It was a confession.
"My father used to tell me that the Kian line was a curse," he said softly. "He told me that the Void was a sickness that needed to be cauterized. But he was a man who was afraid of anything he couldn't break with a fist. I look at you, Hannah, and I don't see a sickness. I see the only thing in this world that is truly honest."
I looked up at him, my breath hitching. "I'm not honest, Kasper. I'm a lie built on top of a secret."
